KOIJA COMMUNITY STARBEDS

I first saw the Koija community starbeds in 2016 while on a game drive at Loisaba conservancy. They were ran down and abandoned at the time but I remember making a mental note that I would really like to come there someday. Enter 2020 with all its shenanigans and my friend R casually mentions that the Koija community starbeds have been renovated and open for business.

A photo of the Koija starbeds 2016

Background

The Koija community starbeds are located in Naibunga lower community conservancy in Laikipia North, Laikipia county. The larger Naibunga conservancy comprises of 9 group ranches koija, munishoi,Ilpolei, Ilmotiok, Kijabe , Nkiloriti, Musul, Tiemamut and Moropusi… you can easily guess in which of the ranches the koija community starbeds are located (hint…the name betrays them).

Getting there

This is a hard one not even google maps /offline maps can help but I will try my best to break it down. From Nanyuki town, turn left onto the C76 (Nanyuki-Rumuruti road). Drive for about 8 kilometers and turn right on the Doldol road. There are many signs so you can’t miss it. After approximately 13 kilometers you will get to Naibor town where the tarmac ends. Continue straight towards Mpala ranch where there is a well graded murram road that cuts through to a small town called Il motiok. From here there is no landmark to refer to which means you need to have someone that knows the area to guide you. Lucky for us we had Patrick, an excellent driver who was familiar with the road and was an excellent guide. He knew all the wildlife we came across and would sometimes backup to allow us to get the best shots. He also gave us an excellent African massage… only the occupants of his Landcruiser would understand this. I would recommend getting the big north to give you a guide if you are not familiar with the area.

I have said before on this blog that a drive through Laikipia north is always a free game drive and this wasn’t any different. We spotted the endangered grevy zebras, the plain zebras, a lone elephant bull, leopard tortoise, dikdiks, impalas, reticulated giraffes, vulturine guinea fowls and the best sighting was the black-backed jackals. On the way back we added a hartebeest and gerenuk to our list.

Reticulated giraffe

Black-backed jackals

Leopard tortoise

Hartbeest (left) Impala (right)

Hello Koija

After 3 hours on the road, we arrived to a warm welcome by Elijah and his team. After a brief introduction & the waiver form signing ceremony, we were shown to our bandas. I had a lot of pinch me moments because that is what you do when something you have wanted for so long comes to fruition. There are a total of 4 bandas. Banda 1 and 2 are en-suite while banda 3 and 4 are connected and share a bathroom and washroom. Each banda can accommodate two people but you can request an extra bed especially for the family banda. All the bandas are on the banks of river Ewaso ng’iro with friendly neighbors such as the rock hyrax. Across the river is Loisaba conservancy where on a good day you may have wildlife sightings. I only spotted 2 giraffes and a tawny eagle which is good enough. The best way to describe the bandas is a partially covered structure with a thatch roof and no doors. The bed looks like a wooden cart (quite literally) and can be wheeled outside onto the deck should you wish to sleep under the stars. Sadly it rained for the better part of our stay here we only managed to wheel the bed outside on the last morning.

The view from the bed

At the restaurant there is a sundown deck where we spent the better parts of our days chatting away and listening to the best of Beethoven thanks to yours truly. Thinking about the teasing and laughter makes me smile as I type this. My friend from Loisaba conservancy told me how there is a leopard that sleeps on the tree next to my banda and I decided I wasn’t going to be scared alone so I told the rest of the group at the bonfire.

The bonfire pit

The sundowner deck

Koija cultural Manyatta

After the best morning of breakfast and lots of banter, Ellie came to get us for a wonderful afternoon at the koija cultural manyatta which is a short drive from the lodge. The women welcomed us with a dance, then a lesson in cleaning a gourd with special acacia tree which can be used to store milk for up to three days. Then there was a fire lighting ceremony and a dance by the morans. A few of us got the ladies of the Manyatta together for a little chat on medical and financial issues before going for some beaded items retail therapy. Every item on sale here is handmade by women from this community with support from beadworks Kenya under the northern rangeland trust.

The Koija community starbeds are located in Naibunga lower community conservancy in Laikipia North. There are a total of 4 bandas. The best way to describe the bandas is a partially covered structure with a thatch roof and no doors. The bed looks like a wooden cart (quite literally) and can be wheeled outside onto the deck should you wish to sleep under the stars.

At the restaurant there is a sundown deck where we spent the better parts of our days chatting away. We also visited the Koija cultural Manyatta where the women welcomed us with a dance and a lesson in cleaning a gourd with special acacia tree.

If anyone asks me if I have ever slept outside I would say yes proudly and go ahead to tell them how much I loved it. Normalize sleeping under the stars.

Love and light,
Mukuhi.